Favors
by Lady Serebi
Summary: It's been a few years since the Lucy incident, and Bandou and Mayu are now living together as she goes to college and he works at his new shop. After all, they always did pay off their favors for the other. Saviorshipping. AU, I suppose.
1. An Everyday Thing

_**Favors**_

**Summary:** It's been a few years since the Lucy incident, and Bandou and Mayu are now living together as she goes to college and he works at his new shop. After all, they always did pay off their favors for the other.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Elfen Lied, but I do own this idea that's been dormant in my head for the last year or so.

**Chapter 1:** An Everyday Thing

Mayu giggled at the large dog that was currently chasing its tail in the park. It was spring now, so she could easily take out Wanta for walks without worrying about the cold. The small dog she had found as a puppy had grown quite large over the years, eventually turning out to be half her size. And he was still as loyal and playful as ever, rarely willing to leave her side.

Mayu sighed happily, glee filling her as memories of the last year flooded over her. It had been one year ago that she had stumbled to Bandou's door after finding his address in a phone book, lost and alone with no place to go. Since then, though, she had started going to college and working part-time and her life, while still as hectic as ever, was highly fulfilling.

"Wanta! C'mere boy, time to go back home!" Mayu called out, patting her leg. The large dog lumbered over, panting happily. "Let's hurry home, I don't want to miss my next class." Mayu told her best friend, clipping the leash to Wanta's collar. Wanta happily followed Mayu back to their home, taking a nap while Mayu was at class.

xxx

Mayu came back from work, smiling. She liked working at the bakery, espicially when she remembered the woman who was so nice to her when she and Wanta were homeless. Not only that, but she sometimes was able to help cook things. Today had been one of those days, and she had been able to sell all of the desserts today. Checking the clock, she saw it was about five.

"Hmm...Bandou won't be home for another hour or two...I wonder what I should make for supper." Mayu mused to herself, before setting her bag down on the couch and pulling out her textbook. "I'll study for an hour, and then work on supper." She murmured, flipping to the pages they had been studying.

Just as she had gotten herself situated, however, the door opened and Mayu looked up from her book to see Bandou walk in. He looked irritated, and Mayu inwardly chuckled. "Welcome home! How did work go today, Bandou-kun?"

"Some old man kept nagging at me on how poor the quality of the wood was. Pissed me off." Bandou growled, shutting the door and plopping down next to her.

"I don't see what the problem is, though. Your items always seem to work just as they're suppose to, don't they?" Mayu asked, turning her attention back to her textbook.

"Hai. Just some people think it's not good enough. Bastards." Bandou muttered, leaning his face into the palm of his hand. "You doing well in school?"

"No, I just study every day because I sleep in class!" Mayu joked, causing Bandou to smirk. "By the way, what should I make for supper?"

"Ehh, I don't care." Bandou replied nonchalantly, peering at the text in her book. "And once again I'm glad that I didn't have to take that class when I was in the military."

"That narrows down the choices, Bandou-kun." Mayu sighed, rolling her eyes. Sometimes he needed to actually give an answer instead of saying he didn't care. "And this isn't too bad, but I fail to see how this will actually be used with my major."

"Heh, fine. Something western?" Bandou suggested, smirking. Mayu nodded enthusiastically.

"Study for an hour, then I'll work on supper."

"Sounds good. I'll be in the workshop then." Bandou informed, getting up to work on building more furniture for his shop.

Life seemed to go perfectly for those two. Mayu would get up and make breakfast, and the two would talk as they ate before Mayu went to class and Bandou went to his shop. Mayu would come home and walk Wanta during her lunch break, eating a small bento at the park. After her classes, she went to work at her part-time job before coming home to study until it was time to make supper. Bandou would come home and they would eat together, before Bandou went to make more items for his shop or he would clean a few places Mayu missed from the weekend. Ocassionally they would watch a movie while Mayu studied, before they both embarked on the nightime walk for Wanta. Then they went to bed and it all started over again.

Mayu hoped that this would never change, as currently, her life seemed perfect. However, as fate would have it, it would be changing very soon.

xxx

The next day when she came home, Bandou was already home. Mayu wondered why he had been coming home early so many times recently. _I hope everything is going okay at the shop..._ She worried as she sat down to study. Bandou sat down next to her, but said nothing and instead flicked on the TV. Mayu continued to study, but became more and more aware of Bandou's eyes continually flickering back over to her.

Once or twice they caught each others' eye, causing her breath to hitch up a bit. _You idiot, what's wrong with you?! This is Bandou! You've known him for years! He probably just has something to tell you but doesn't know how to say it!_ She berated herself when this happened, forcing herself to focus on her textbook instead of worrying what exactly was happening with Bandou. _Still..._

After half an hour of nothing but the TV making any noise, Mayu got up to make supper. Bandou said nothing, but she felt his eyes on her as she walked to the kitchen. Once he thought she was out of earshot, however, she could hear him mumbling curses to himself.

_I wonder what his problem is..._ She thought to herself, before rummaging through the fridge and pulling out a few ingredients to make curry with. After the curry was done, she called him to the table and filled Wanta's bowl before sitting down across from Bandou. The silence was awkward for once, and neither could seem to think up small talk to break it. Wanta sauntered over next to Mayu, plopping his head down into her lap. Mayu giggled, scratching him behind his ear as she ate. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Bandou smiling slightly, and suddenly it didn't seem to be such an awkward silence anymore.

After dinner, Mayu and Bandou sat next to each other on the couch as Bandou watched television and Mayu studied.

At about eight, they went out for their usual walk to the park. Wanta ran around happily, a few other dog owners having also come out to enjoy the night. Mayu and Bandou sat on a bench, watching the dogs have fun playing together. It was still a bit chilly, so the two brought home Wanta early as neither of them had brought their coats.

Mayu watched television with Bandou until ten, before deciding to go to bed. Bandou also seemed to be going to bed, following her. Just as she reached her room, however, she felt his arms wrap around her. She gasped silently, frozen as he hugged her from behind. Her hand rested on the doorknob, but she didn't have the will to tighten her grip on the doorknob or to turn the handle and open the door. She just stood there, feeling him breathing against her hair. Slowly, he released her, murmuring a small "I'm sorry" before rushing into his room.

Still slightly frozen, she exhaled the breathe she didn't know she was holding. She heard a light padding, and turned her head to see Wanta next to her, his head slightly tilted in confusion. She smiled lightly at her companion. "I don't know either..." She murmured, before opening the door to her room and heading over to her bed. Wanta followed, patiently waiting for her to get in her nightshirt and under the covers before jumping onto the foot of her bed and curling into a ball. Mayu cut off her light and set her alarm clock before going to sleep, with dreams of Bandou awaiting her.

_I honestly have no clue where I'm going with this story, but there is a severe lack of Saviorshipping fanfics, so...8D_


	2. Cute Lil' Homicidal Girl

_**Favors**_

_Bleh, already hit a bit of a point of annoyance. I just can't seem to write normal, boring day-to-day scenes without wanting to shoot myself from the sheer amount of _normal_. e.e Also, thanks to my reviewer. 8D First time evarz to actually get a review the first day a story got posted. I have three reviews total, so every review makes me feel all fuzzy inside. -heart-_

* * *

**Chapter 2:** Cute Lil' Homicidal Girl

The next day started out the same as usual, just with a few more awkward silences tossed into the mix. At the end of the day, though, everything seemed right as rain between the two. The day after that...Mayu woke up at her normal time, hitting off her alarm clock and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before dragging herself out of bed to take her morning shower. Washing her hair, she reminded herself of all the tasks she had set out for that day, and afterwords let her mind roam to Bandou's actions the night before last night.

_I wonder why he did that..._ She mused, before stepping out of the shower and drying herself. She wrapped the towel around her, and opened the door to see Bandou there waiting for the shower like he always did in the morning. Mayu flashed him a smile, before heading back to her room to get dressed. By the time she had started on breakfast, Bandou was out of the shower and she had turned on the television to see the morning news.

What greeted her was enough to make her want to retch up what little food she had left over from last night. Bodies, loads of them, all surrounded by a pink-haired toddler with horns. Mayu involuntarily gasped, and dropped the plate she was holding. It shattered as she realized those bodies were of the news crew she saw every night and morning, and that no one was there to turn off the camera and stop the horror of what was being seen.

Bandou rushed in seconds after hearing the crash of the plate, staring at the woman who was gaping at the television before following her gaze. "Shit..." He murmured, grabbing the remote off the table and turning it off. This broke Mayu's trance, and she slumped down to the floor silently, barely avoiding shards of broken glass.

"W-why..." She moaned, her hands clenching her apron. Bandou closed his eyes, taking a calming breath before kneeling down next to her and starting to pick up the broken glass that was so close to her knees.

"Do you have any glass in your knee?" Bandou asked quietly, causing Mayu to come back further into the real world. She looked down at the floor, gasping.

"I'm sorry..." She murmured, clenching her apron even tighter.

Bandou snorted, before repeating his question. "I asked if you had any glass in your knee, not for an apology. If your legs are okay then help clean up this glass."

"O-okay..." She replied, checking herself for any glass. She found a few small pieces that caused some minor cuts, but nothing serious. She carefully pulled them out before going to the medicine cabinet and disinfecting them before returning to help Bandou clean up the remaining glass. "Sorry again..."

"S'okay, not the most pleasant thing to start your day off with anyways." Even with that reassurance, Mayu still didn't feel right.

"I...I don't understand why she would do such a thing. Nyuu and Nana never did anything like that..." She said, sighing. Bandou chose to remain silent, remembering the memories and injuries Nyuu and her alter ego Lucy caused.

"Knowing Kurama's group of lackeys, this whole thing will be over and done with by tomorrow." Bandou replied, before smelling the burning eggs. Mayu squeaked as the scent hit her nose as well, and Bandou sighed. "Let's just skip breakfast for today."

"S-sorry..."

* * *

Later that day, Mayu came home to hear rustling in the kitchen. Thinking Bandou was home was home early again, she called out "I'm home!" and Wanta rushed to greet her like he did every day. Mayu chuckled, patting the large dog on the head before walking into the kitchen.

Rummaging through the cupboard was not Bandou, and was instead a small child with shoulder-length pink hair and horns sticking out of her head. She peered over her shoulder, a cookie in her mouth.

"Uhm...Hello." Mayu greeted, setting down her bag. The girl stood up, holding the box of cookies as she turned around. "What's your name, little girl?"

"Ko-Kokoro..." The girl whimpered out, and Mayu smiled gently. The poor thing was terrified, and she looked nothing like the Diclonious on the morning news.

"I'm Mayu, Kokoro-chan. Would you like to stay for supper?" Mayu asked, hoping she wasn't scaring the poor girl. Kokoro looked like she would rather bolt towards the door, but Mayu seemed genuinely like she didn't want to hurt her.

"Oh-okay...I'm sorry I was stealing your food..." She whimpered, and Mayu chuckled.

"That's okay, but next time you might want to wait for the home owners to get back before letting yourself in. I thought you were my room-mate!" Mayu confessed, grinning broadly. Inside, however, she was wondering how exactly she would explain the Diclonious to Bandou. Wanta walked over to the small pink-haired girl and licked her cheek, causing the girl to squeal.

"Wah! N-no...Bad doggy! Wah!" She continued to squeal as Wanta continued to bathe the Diclonious in his slobber. Mayu giggled, remembering a similar experience with Nana.

"So..." Mayu started, causing both dog and Diclonious to look at her. "What does our guest want for supper?"

* * *

When Bandou came home it was an hour past his usual time, and he thought the shrill giggles he kept hearing as he walked up the path to the door were quite odd. Did Mayu invite friends over and forget to tell him...? Bandou shuddered, remembering the events of the last time that had happened...

As he stepped into the house, however, he was startled to see Mayu rolling around on the floor giggling insanely. He was even more surprised to see the Diclonious next to her also giggling madly. A quick glance at the TV showed Japan's Funniest Home Videos playing, the result of the giggling. Bandou stood at the door a few more moments, very few thoughts passing through his mind before Mayu noticed him.

"Bandou-kun, shut the door! You're letting all the cold air in!" She wheezed through her fits of giggles, and Bandou wondered what was wrong with the woman as he shut the door, shaking his head. He decided to leave the Diclonious be...for now. He'd have a talk with Mayu later...Right now the Diclonious wasn't causing any harm and he just wanted some fucking food. _Idiot old man..._

* * *

Kokoro was fast asleep in Mayu's bed, having been tucked in after a warm bath. Mayu sat down on the couch next to Bandou, finally pulling out her textbook. The silence was peaceful between the two, the only noise being the television.

"What are we going to do with her?" Bandou asked suddenly during a commercial break, and Mayu looked up from her textbook.

"I...I guess tomorrow I'll ask where her parents are, and if that turns out to be a dead end..."

Bandou sighed, resting his head in his palm. "Then what? Will you take her to an orphanage or...?"

"I...I'm not sure." Mayu murmured. "If she does turn out to not have any family, I'd want her to at least be put in a good home somewhere."

"Mm."

"If I knew where Kouta was...I know he'd take care of her. But he and Yuka just up and left after Nana went missing..." Mayu sighed, returning to looking at the textbook without looking at the actual words written on the paper.

Silence reigned for a few minutes, before Mayu piped up again. "Bandou-kun...Can I ask for a favor?" She asked quietly, looking over to see him visibly flinch at those words.

"We're not keeping her." Bandou hissed harshly.

"But--" Mayu started to protest.

"No. You saw what happened on the news! And even if we did take her in, how would the people that saw that react?" He argued, his cold logic chilling her.

"But...We can't just throw her out." Mayu murmured, clenching the hem of her shirt. That was quickly becoming a habit of hers, Bandou noticed.

"We can and we will." He replied just as harshly as before, turning his head to look at the window.

"No." Mayu hissed back, causing Bandou's head to snap back around. What...? "I _refuse_ to let you kick out a _child_."

"Why not? She may wind up killing us both!"

"Or she might wind up being completely innocent like Nana-chan! If she's raised properly, then--"

"Stop arguing." Mayu and Bandou's head whirled towards the hallway, spotting Kokoro standing there. Her hair covered her face, and in her right hand a stuffed animal, one of Mayu's favorites, was tightly clenched in her hand. A chill ran through the room, and it looked like Kokoro's pink over-sized nightshirt was swaying. From behind her was Wanta, who was glancing around cautiously. "I...I'm sorry I'm such a burden."

"No..." Mayu murmured. "You're not a burden...Bandou-kun and I have just had bad experiences with a few people like you." She said, getting up and walking over to her. Bandou, speechless, could only try to grab her arm, which she easily avoided. She stopped in front of Kokoro, kneeling down and hugging her. She heard a sniffle, and Kokoro's arms wrapped around Mayu, hugging her back as she tried in vain to hold back her tears. "Shh...Don't worry, it's okay..."

"B-but Mama said I was a monster just like that girl on the news, and Daddy said it too..." She sniffled, and Mayu held the girl tighter. From the couch, only Bandou could see the smirk on her face, or the vector come out from the girl's back.

"Mayu...!" He shouted as the vector went through her head. A shuddered ripped through Mayu's body, causing her grip on Kokoro to weaken enough for Wanta to slam into Kokoro and split her and Mayu up. Sprawled out on the floor, Mayu could easily see the vectors floating freely around the young girl, causing her to gasp.

Kokoro looked at Mayu straight in the eye, murmuring a soft "I'm sorry" before her head exploded. Blood splattered all over Wanta, and some landed on Mayu. Mainly, though, the blood landed on the wall and floor with the remains of her brain.

A few soldiers ran through the now open door, quickly removing the body while Mayu and Bandou both stared in shock at the single horn that remained on the ground and the blood-covered white rabbit.

* * *

_8D I bet you all saw that happening, but I really didn't see it to be in character for Bandou to easily allow a Diclonious into his home. Not even with cute Mayu pleading with him. So instead I made the Diclonious instinct take over and infect Mayu. D; Lady Serebi is Pro-Diclonious-Takeover! This chapter was SUPPOSE to be uploaded yesterday, but the site was being a bish so no dice. D;_


	3. ShellShocked

_**Favors**_

_Got nothin' to say. For now. ;o_

**Chapter 3:** Shell-Shock

To be frank, Bandou had absolutely no fucking clue what he was suppose to do with his room-mate, who was currently doing a very good impression of a vegetable. She'd been like that for the last hour, even after Kurama left after explaining the side-effects of being touched by a vector. Bandou sighed, wondering what was going on in her head at the moment. He wasn't even _maternal_, and he still didn't want to lose his ability to have a child of his own blood.

_"Mayu-san. Are you aware of the virus the vectors carry?" Kurama asked as the woman before him started to show signs of recovery. Bandou had recovered first, and was currently attempting to clean up some of the blood smears off the floor with the help of a few soldiers. He looked back to see Mayu's eyes well up with tears as she shook her head._

_Kurama sighed, wishing he didn't have to tell a woman, espicially such a young one, that she might have to destroy all hopes and dreams of having a child. "A person touched with a Diclonious's vectors is infected with a virus that causes them to bear Diclonious children."_

_Mayu gasped sharply, causing several tears to fall out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Bandou grimaced, feeling both empathy and sympathy for her. Hell, he'd run out of that room as fast as possible when he was told..._

_"N-no..." She hiccuped, her breathing starting to act up as she began to hyperventilate. Kurama grimaced as well, yelling for a doctor to get here as soon as possible. One rushed in a minute later, Mayu still struggling to breath properly while practically bawling her eyes out. Bandou tuned her out then, turning back to cleaning the floor. Her stuffed animal caught his eye. _I'll get her a replacement. That blood won't come out._ He thought, before returning to the floor once again._

He noticed she was still covered in blood, which probably wasn't exactly going to help her memories of this event. He sighed, kneeling next to her a poking her in the face. "Hey. C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up." She turned to him, and stared at him for a few seconds. He almost wondered if she was going to start crying again, before she sniffled and nodded slightly. He got up and held out his hand for her, which she accepted gratefully.

"C-can you get me some clothes from my room?" She whispered, and Bandou barely managed to catch it.

"Sure."

"Thank you...I don't know if I can go in there right now..." Mayu said, sighing. Bandou merely nodded, not knowing what to say. He thought about calling her a troublesome woman, but he didn't know if that would backfire or not.

"Go get cleaned up." He ordered instead, and she nodded, glancing at the pink stains on the white wall as she walked down the hallway. She shivered slightly, before hurrying inside the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Bandou walked into her room as he heard the shower turn on, and grimaced as he saw another shredded stuffed animal on her normally clean floor. _Fucking Diclonious..._

He walked over to her dresser and started opening drawers, looking for some clean clothes. Figuring she wouldn't want to enter her room tomorrow, or at least not without after-effects, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a simple light-blue shirt and her backpack before grabbing her nightshirt. He put her backpack and spare clothes on the couch, glad she didn't have to go to her college tomorrow. Bandou knocked on the door before opening it and placing her clothes on the bathmat before exiting, earning himself a quiet "thank you" from Mayu.

Bandou sighed as he plopped down next to Mayu's things on the couch. As he glanced around the living room he grimaced, wishing the Diclonious had chosen some other house to invade. Bandou had thought he was finally over and done with those freaks. _Obviously not..._

Bandou snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the bathroom door open, and heard Mayu's feet padding against the wooden floor. He heard her deposit some clothes in the laundry basket before heading towards the the living room. His throat tightened as she walked through the living room in her nightshirt, and she was still drying her hair with a towel. She moved her bookback and clothes off her section of the couch and to the floor before sitting down, curling her legs up onto the couch as she finished drying her hair. Bandou looked out the window, trying not to stare and give her some privacy. It was something he had always done, and he knew she wouldn't think much of it.

The silence continued between the two, neither knowing if they should say anything. Bandou heard Mayu sigh softly, and turned to see her staring at the wall, specifically the part that was still a light pink. Bandou felt even more uncomfortable than before, now. In his opinion, he had already done far more than he should have, even if... In any case, comforting others was not his thing, and it never had been nor did he foresee it happening in the near future.

The silence stretched on, until he actually noticed the shirt she was wearing. He didn't remember when he'd given it to her, or any way she could have gotten it. Then again, if he remembered right she'd been wearing that exact shirt when she'd shown up on his doorstep, looking like a drowned rat. He knew it was his...But when had she obtained it? When he was hunting down Lucy? After Lucy had split the group up? After he had left?

"Shit..." Bandou jumped slightly, having been lost in his thoughts and not use to hearing Mayu cuss.

"What is it?" Bandou asked, resting his head on his open palm as he looked at her.

"I forgot to ask Kurama-san where Nana-chan was..." Mayu replied, sighing softly. Bandou smirked slightly, glad to see she was getting somewhat back to normal.

"Psh...Is that it?" He asked rhetorically, lapsing into silence for a few seconds. "Didn't he leave his number lying around somewhere?"

Mayu's eyes lit up, and she turned to him excitedly. "Really?!"

"Mhm. I though I saw him writing it down. Dunno where he put it, though." Bandou said nonchalantly, but glad his room-mate was acting less depressed. Mayu made a noise that Bandou couldn't put a name to, before she basically tackled him with a hug.

"Thank you!" She exlaimed, hugging him tighter.

Meanwhile, Bandou was having mental and physical whiplash. While his mind was going "the hell...?" his body was going "oh shit...!" at the random glomp. It got worse when he remember what exactly she was wearing. _Dammit..._ "Err, no problem...Glad to see you not being a vegetable anymore."

Mayu giggled before she realized what she was doing and slid off to her side of the couch, slightly flushed. It took a few seconds to remember _why_ whe had been acing like a vegetable, and she instantly wished she hadn't remembered. Bandou noticed her emotional slump and mentally kicked himself. They lapsed into silence again, before Bandou decided to ask where the hell she got his shirt from.

"Is that my shirt?" He asked bluntly, snapping Mayu out of her corner of angst. She looked down to see her nightshirt, before flushing red and nodding. "How the hell did you get it...?"

"Hmm..." Mayu pursed her lips as she thought back to where she had gotten it. "I think...A few weeks after you came back you accidently forgot it at the Inn...I don't remember why you left it, though."

"So you never gave it back?" He asked, smirking.

Mayu flushed, stuttering as she tried to defend herself. "I-I didn't mean to forget, it-it's just that you never showed up when I intended to give it you!"

Bandou smirked at her reaction. "Fucking shirt theif." He teased, causing her to blush even harder.

"I-I can give it back, if you want!" Mayu stuttered, and Bandou openly laughed.

"Keep it. Looks better on you anyways." Bandou replied, smirking before he realised what he said could possibly be flirting. He never realized that he was complimenting her, as he truly did think the baggy shirt looked better on her.

Mayu squeaked and looked down at the floor, not use to hearing such things from Bandou. A clock in the kitchen started chirping, announcing the time to be one in the morning. Bandou sighed, getting up. "I'm heading to bed, g'night."

"Night, Bandou-kun."

As he removed his clothes he silently kicked himself. First the other night, now he was flirting with her? God, shoot him now before he became a love-struck puppy...

_I'm not happy with Mayu in this chapter. D; She's so hard to write! Bandou, on the other hand...In any case, tell me if you thnik Mayu is OOC. D;_


	4. Rainbows and Things

_**Favors**_

_o_o Waisoquiet?_

* * *

**Chapter 4:** Rainbows and Things

Sometime during the night, Bandou had heard sniffling. In his half-asleep state, he passed it off as a part of his dreams. He also heard feet padding against a creaking wooden floor, and a door open and close. He passed those off as well. When he woke up at eight in the morning, however...

_What the hell?!_ He thought, wondering how exactly this happened and why. Thinking back to last night, he remembered the Diclonious and Mayu's trauma at the event. He had left her to sleep on the couch, since she refused to sleep in her room. Sometime during the night she had gone into his room and gotten into his bed. As a result of this, she was now latched onto him like one would expect a small child to be latched onto a favorite stuffed animal.

Bandou sighed, sweatdropping slightly at the slight bit of drool slipping out of her mouth. _That'd better not get on my bed..._ He thought, before attempting to get out of her grasp. No matter how hard he tried, however, she refused to give up her prize, and eventually Bandou relented before she woke up or something bad happened. Bandou sighed once more, closing his eyes and relaxing until he fell back asleep...

* * *

Waking up again, he was mildly irked but joyful to see Mayu still there. However, it was rather awkward considering the fact that she was staring up at him. He was staring right at him, causing him to flush and wonder why she hadn't averted her gaze.

"Bandou-kun?" She asked innocently, blinking finally. Suddenly it felt like a great weight was lifted from the room as their staring contest finally ended.

"Yeah?" He replied, and suddenly the weight came back and Bandou felt like he was going to be crushed. Meanwhile, Mayu stared up at him still.

"Will you marry me?"

"WHAT THE _HELL_?!" Could be heard throughout the neighborhood, causing a neighboring dog-owner to look up from tending to their dog as she wondered what type of horrible creature could make that noise.

Several hours later, Mayu was still giggling sporadically as she cooked lunch. Every time she did, Bandou got a bit more irritated. It really was that funny. Such a cruel joke... Every time he thought back to it, a little part of him wanted to find a corner of despair to sulk in. And each and every time, Bandou resisted the urge with pure annoyance.

The rest of the Saturday passed with its normal bliss, with Mayu studying as she sat next to Bandou as he watched television until around three or four. Then he'd go to work in his workshop, while Mayu cleaned up the rest of the house. This time, however, she did not enter her room. She grimaced every time she looked at the door or down the hall, something that didn't pass Bandou's notice. Aside from that, Mayu seemed perfectly normal in her actions.

When they returned from walking Wanta, however, both she and the dog seemed unhappy at returning to the living room. It suddenly seemed so much less inviting and homey, and that slightly pink spot on the wall seemed to have taken up even more of the wall. Not to mention that it seemed to be a lot darker than what she rememebered. Mayu sighed softly, while Wanta whined and nudged at her to go into the house. Unwillingly, they both entered the house and went back to their pre-approved weekend routine: starting supper for Mayu and a nap for Wanta.

On weekends, Mayu always made a bigger dinner since she made it later than normally. This time, however, it was the same as any day and after they finished Bandou washed the dishes. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her staring more at the spot on the wall than her textbook. Frowning, he tried to think of the next time she said she'd be out of the house...

That night, he offered to walk Wanta in exchange for her not pestering him about the television being too loud. While he was out, he stopped by his shop and grabbed two cans of paint and grabbed a list of numbers, looking down them as he tried to figure out who would be the best back-up. Wanta seemed to be grinning while Bandou was doing this, his tailing wagging rapidly while he drooled over Bandou's clean floor.

When he got home, he was glad to hear Mayu in the shower so she wouldn't ask why he was lugging home three cans of paint. Espicially since only _one_ was good for wood-working, and thus the "it's for the shop" excuse would most definately _not work_. He walked past the island, glad he grabbed the third can of paint and deciding he'd pick up another as he opened the door to his workshop. Flicking on the lights, he grimaced at the mess of a workshop he had. _Maybe I ought to let her clean in here anyways...Nah._ Placing the cans on his desk, he pulled out the chair and plopped down, grabbing and pencil and writing down plans for what he was going to do.

* * *

When he finally exited his workshop he saw Mayu on the couch, watching a Japanese dub of South Park in shock and amusement. Bandou sweatdropped, remembering his first disturbing memories of the idiotic American show. Against his better judgement he sat down, grimacing as Sexual Harassment Panda began to sing.

"Why do Americans like such a disturbing show...?"

"I honestly have no fucking clue."

* * *

Despite telling her no numerous times the previous night that she abosultely could _not_ sleep with him until she got over the Diclonious event he still wound up waking up the next morning to see Mayu staring up at him.

"Didn't I tell you no?"

"Err...I had a bad dream...?" Mayu explained, trying to fend off the wrath of the fearsome Bandou. Thankfully for her, not even Bandou can withstand the adorability of Mayu and he left to take a shower, telling himself he'd actually tell her no next time and it would work.

After eating breakfast, Mayu grabbed her bookbag and books. "Cya tonight, Bandou-kun!" She said as she rushed out the door, off to hang out with her friends until late that night. Bandou smirked, thanking fate for its amazing timing of events as his own friends pulled up in their truck, before realizing all of his friends were just as insane as he was and wondering what the hell he'd done. Espicially since now they would know his address, something he'd been diligent about hiding before.

"Yeah, let's get this done quick, _Bandou-kun_, we wouldn't want your _girlfriend_ to see us still working, would she?" One taunted as he walked up the half-step, in kicking range of Bandou. He soon found himself falling. "So mean...!" He sniveled, hiding behind one of the others.

"Shut up, Kariyu...Let's get this done before she gets back." Bandou replied, glaring at the offending male. The man, Kariyu, simply stuck out his tongue before dodging a flying object.

"Wah...! How does your girlfriend stand your violence...?!"

"Shut up, dammit!"

Many flying objects later, Kariyu finally decided to stop goading Bandou before he actually got hurt and followed the others into the house.

* * *

When Mayu came home, half-asleep due to the boring last half-hour of hanging out and the train ride home, she was startled to hear lots of laughter coming from inside. Sensing an odd feeling of deja vu, she slowly opened the door to see Bandou glaring at his two fellow carpenters and three of her friends from school. Joshua was smirking as Sho forced Beat and Neku to eat some odd concoction that must've come from the fridge. It was green and was in a two-liter bottle of soda, but it looked mainly solid as it sloshed around in the container.

"What are you guys _doing_?!" Mayu asked, not really sure she wanting to know. Suddenly all eyes were on her, and Sho stopped forcing sludge down Neku and Beat's throat long enough for them to over-power the insanely strong man and start forcing the bile down _his_ throat. Gagging and now spazzing, the man in black started thrashing while Bandou sighed, walknig over and closing the door.

"I got these idiots to make the house look not as bad and they wind up making a mess..." Bandou growled, half to himself and half to her. Mayu sweatdropped, before realizing that the house was indeed different. Instead of white walls and light furniture, everything was now a coffee-brown.

"What the...?" Mayu stuttered, glancing around what now seemed to be an entirely new room.

"And the idiots were too busy goofing off to finish up before you got home, too..." Bandou said exasperatedly, crossing his arms and glaring as Kariyu rejoined the circle of idiocy.

**THUMP**

Everyone stopped what they were doing to see Mayu had tackled Bandou into a hug, who was now on the floor leaning against the wall. Mayu was practically straddling him, causing him and the on-lookers to flush slightly.

"Err...So outta here, can't ask her to apprieciate our Bandou." Sho muttered, earning himself a smack on the head from Joshua. "Ow..."

"Stop with the lame math jokes. They don't even make sense anymore."

As the five males exitted the house through the back, they heard a high-pitched squeal. Sho and Beat grinned, Kariyu and Joshua smirked, and Neku smiled as he crossed his arms.

"Bandou's gettin' lucky tonight, right mah brothas?"

"God, shoot me now." Neku muttered, pulling his headphones back over his ears.

"Already did that once before." Joshua replied, smirk growing wider. Neku just gave him a strange look, before they all piled into Sho's "Pi Delivery" truck.

Inside, Bandou was trying to release Mayu's arms from his neck before either she or the rabbit strangled or smothered him.

_This chapter was extremely silly, and I blame that for listening to Be My Girl by Jet during this entire chapter. XD Cookies for whoever recognizes the special characters. :P Bandou seemed a bit off this chapter, too... e.e;_


End file.
